Many fields of medical treatment and healthcare require monitoring of certain physiological parameters. Technological advancements in medicine led to the increased use of medical devices, e.g., meters and infusion pumps, to collect medical data, and of healthcare data management systems. Healthcare data management methods and systems traditionally developed for use in healthcare facilities and health management organizations are increasingly used by patients, care givers, and others. U.S. Pat. No. 7,103,578 and U.S. Published Application No. 2004/0172284 disclose two such methods and systems. Some healthcare data management systems are able to transfer data between them.
A common feature of healthcare management systems is the ability to convey information. Information can include raw data, graphical representations of data such as statistical display objects, explanations and textual interpretations, inferential information and so on. Communication and understanding can be improved by using interactive graphs to convey information. In one particular embodiment, the development of graphical user interfaces (GUI) facilitates user interaction with data processing and other software applications. In a typical embodiment, a GUI can display a number of display objects that are individually manipulable by a user utilizing a user input device. For example, the user can utilize a computer keyboard, mouse, touch screen, touch pad, roller ball or voice commands and the like to select a particular display object and to further initiate an action corresponding to the selected display object.
Medical devices may include a data stack where patient data is recorded in anticipation of downloading to a healthcare data management system. Common methods of storing data utilize LIFO and FIFO sequential orders to store data in stacks or files. Generally, the medical device stack is downloaded in its entirety and the data is then managed by the healthcare data management system. Some medical devices retain large amounts of data and have slow transfer rates. Data transfers using those devices require an amount of time which users may consider excessive and which may conflict with their lifestyle.